Anderson Strathern picks up Semple Fraser banking team

Alex Innes, who was a partner at Semple Fraser, will join Anderson Strathern along with Douglas Gourlay and Euan Anderson. Gourlay was a director at Semple Fraser and Anderson was a trainee. All three lawyers, who joined Anderson Strathern’s Edinburgh office yesterday, will keep the same job titles at their new firm.

Semple Fraser’s management informed staff that it was filing notice to appoint administrators on 5 March. Since then, Dundas & Wilson, Maclay Murray & Spens and Weightmans have all picked up teams of lawyers from the firm (11 March 2013), but 62 members of staff across Glasgow and Edinburgh are expected to be out of jobs.

Anderson Strathern has around 330 staff, including 54 partners. According to The Lawyer’s UK 200 rankings, the firm’s predicted turnover in 2011/12 was £23m, which was up 8.5 per cent on the previous year. This figure was a prediction because Anderson Strathern’s year-end is in August.

Anderson Strathern boosted its turnover in 2011 when it merged with Scottish property firm Bell & Scott (1 July 2011).